Story Highlights

Ian Mahinmi walked off the court after the Indiana Pacers’ practice Tuesday with a smile, ready to tell a joke.

“I’m just happy we finished the practice and nothing’s wrong,” he said laughing. “No scratch, no nothing. I’m just happy. Today is a good day.”

Right now, Mahinmi can appreciate such small victories just as much as the ones attached to the Pacers’ record. The team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, but Mahinmi’s body took another hit, another pounding.

In the first minute of the game, Mahinmi drove to the rim. When he raised his head to see the basket, his forehead collided with Lou Williams’ left elbow. Mahinmi spun away, fell to the court and lost the ball, which was recovered by Williams. His forehead bloody, Mahinmi was furious. But not because the referees did not call a foul on Williams or because Mahinmi had to be taken to the locker room.

Mahinmi was upset because he sustained yet another injury, a forehead laceration that required eight stitches. It was his fourth injury in the last seven games he’s played.

“I was like, ‘Man, the first play of the game,’” he said. “I can’t catch no break.”

Five of those injuries occurred in the past 40 days. Yet none of them has forced Mahinmi to miss any long stretch of the season. The most consecutive games he has not played is four, a testament to Mahinmi’s desire to play, even if it means performing through pain.

“He’s a tough dude and he does not like missing (games),” coach Frank Vogel said. He later added: “He’s been such a big part of this year’s team identity. He’s one of our leaders and probably our most respected guy in the locker room as someone that everyone looks up to. I don’t know where we’d be without him.”

Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) runs into the elbow of Los Angeles Lakers guard Louis Williams (23) in the first half of their game. Mahinmi left the game to get medical attention. The Indiana Pacers host the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, Feb8, 2016, evening at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.(Photo: Matt_Kryger/Indy_Star)

The Pacers’ training staff on Monday stopped the bleeding, sewed the stitches and put a large bandage over Mahinmi’s cut before the start of second quarter. When Mahinmi returned to the court, he did not shy away from contact. He drew a foul two minutes into the quarter driving to the basket. In 27 minutes, Mahinmi finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

Monday’s game was another example why Mahinmi’s durability, despite the aches and bruises, has impressed his teammates.

“It just shows how hard he’s going out there and how he’s competing,” Monta Ellis said. “We know we get that from him and he knows there’s going to be injuries that come along with that.”

What Mahinmi has yet to figure out is why he has had to experience so many injuries.

A few theories could be plausible.

As a first-time starter, Mahinmi has played almost as many minutes so far this season (1,036 entering Wednesday’s game against Charlotte) as he did all of last season (1,146). But Mahinmi said he spent last summer training harder to prepare himself for a bigger workload.

Perhaps the Pacers’ new philosophy to start the season as a small-ball, spread team could be a reason. That style left Mahinmi as the only player protecting the paint, which meant a lot of collisions with driving opponents.

Mahinmi simply calls this season the weirdest of his eight-year career.

“I’ve never really had like one injury after another,” he said. “There’s years where you go through the whole season and no injuries and from one year to another year it goes, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I don’t like to use the word 'luck.' But sometimes you know, for example with my ankle, when you come down on someone’s foot, what can you do?”

After Wednesday’s game, the Pacers will have an eight-day break because of the All-Star festivities.

Most players are excited to get away and let their bodies heal. Mahinmi, though, feels different. He said he will spend much of his break in the gym to make sure he is prepared for the second half of the season.

“For me, I actually don’t like the break,” he said. “With the last few weeks when I’ve been dealing with injuries, it kinds of breaks my rhythm a little bit. I came back two games ago, now I got another game and then another week without games. To me, this break came at a wrong time.”

The scar close to Mahinmi’s left eyebrow from the eight stiches will be with him during the All-Star break, further symbolizing the pain he has endured. Mahinmi said the scar does not bother him. Then, with a few laughs, he explained the one negative from the laceration.

THE HORNETS ARE HOT: Do not let the Eastern Conference standings fool you. The Charlotte Hornets are one of the hottest teams. They have won seven of their past 11 games and could be a factor in the playoff race. Kemba Walker is not an All-Star, but he has performed at a high level throughout the year.

THE BREAK HAS NOT STARTED YET: After Tuesday’s practice, coach Frank Vogel explained to his team that they still have one more win to obtain before their All-Star break starts Thursday. After almost losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Vogel emphasized how the Hornets are behind the Pacers in the standings and why a victory would be beneficial beyond Wednesday night.

WHAT VOGEL IS SAYING: “I just thought we got too lackadaisical in the second half and played too casual with our lead. We didn’t go for that killer instinct and push the lead up to 20, 25 points like we should have. We should have never seen our crowd chanting, ‘Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!’ It shouldn’t have gotten to that point.” – coach Frank Vogel on what was most disappointing about the Pacers’ performance in the second half against the Lakers.

PREDICTION: The Hornets should not be taken lightly. The Pacers, for some reason, have a thing for close games, so it would make sense that they will have another one before the All-Star break. Pacers 102, Hornets 97.